Taylor, Washburn, or Gibson

[EdgeIsTooSexy]

I guess I was kind of weird, I began playing an electric guitar first never had an acoustic. But now that I'm going to college, I figure itll be better off if I bought one.
So I'm looking at a Taylor, Washburn, and a Gibson.
Any advice?

 

[Chill Mike D]

I take it you have deep pockets if those are the three brands you're looking at.

Gibson guitars start at just under $1000 for their acoustics. You can find Taylors, Washburns, and a very few Martins for less than that, but not many. Honestly, Yamaha makes some of the best acoustics that exist if you don't buy their absolute lowest end guitars. A $300 or $400 Yamaha is probably as good as many other companies' $800 guitars. My brother has a $350 Yamaha from the 80s that was known as being the best acoustic around for less than $1000. It sounds amazing.

Anyway, I'd look into Yamahas, the higher end Epiphones, or dig around for some of the Martins or Guilds that are around $600 or so.

 

[EdgeIsTooSexy]

two words. Used and Ebay


ill check those out though thanks

 

[VintagePunk]

I've had a Yamaha since I was a teenager. My cousin had a Washburn. As soon as I picked up her Washburn, I fell in love with it. It felt so amazing in my hands...

If you're buying online, I'd go to guitar shops and try out various models first to get a feel for what you like.

 

[redhotswami]

i had a washburn acoustic-electric in grad school. i loved it, and got it at the bargain price of $300. it was used, but not really that used. anyway, it was a gem...i just sucked at guitar so we parted ways. i agree with VP about going to guitar shops and trying them out.

 

[Chill Mike D]

Oh, definitely. That being said, I am a recent believer of Rogue guitars, simply for the price point. I've been playing guitar for 20 years and have played all kinds of guitars, including multi-thousand dollar Les Pauls and Martins, and in terms of "bang-for-the-buck", these no-name brand Rogue guitars (which are just a contracted line from Musician's Friend/Guitar Center) are pretty good. Meaning that I bought a lap steel for $80 and it sounds great. I bought a 12-string acoustic for $100 and it sounds great and even has a solid top, not laminate.

I'd love to own a $3000 Gibson J-200, but I'm not holding my breath.

 

[Edge_Orchestra]

I guess I was kind of weird, I began playing an electric guitar first never had an acoustic. But now that I'm going to college, I figure itll be better off if I bought one.
So I'm looking at a Taylor, Washburn, and a Gibson.
Any advice?

While the Washburn Woodstock Festival acoustics made today might LOOK similar to the ones that The Edge used, they are different animals all together. They are cheaper now and the craftsmanship is cheaper too. Also, yours wouldn't sound as much like The Edge's without the Lawrence soundhole pickup.

Taylor makes great guitars. You can get a "Big Baby" for about 400.00. The 100 series has a piezo pickup, so you can plug it in to an amp, should you want to do so. They play and sound great. Sure there are some great Taylors in the 1400+ range. If you can afford it, the 700 series are fantastic. Edge used a 710 during Popmart.

Gibson is a pricey one too. A J-200 will set you back 2700-ish. And a Pete Townshend model, like Edge used, closer to $4K.

Some Yamaha's are okay. I've not met one that I liked. Epiphones are cheaper versions of their Gibson cousins. Buyer beware. There are some that are okay but many are horrible.

What is your budget like? If you can tell me that, I would be glad to put down the makes and models of a few to check out. (and links too)

 

[Chill Mike D]

Taylor makes a $400 guitar? Well I'll be damned. I didn't know that.

Also EITS, if you're going to college, keep in mind that almost everything you own is going to be abused in one way or another. I wouldn't take +$1000 acoustic into a college dorm or even apartment. College is a very fun, very physically destructive 4 years.

 

[Edge_Orchestra]

Taylor makes a $400 guitar? Well I'll be damned. I didn't know that.

Also EITS, if you're going to college, keep in mind that almost everything you own is going to be abused in one way or another. I wouldn't take +$1000 acoustic into a college dorm or even apartment. College is a very fun, very physically destructive 4 years.

BABY TAYLOR
Baby Taylor is a 3/4 size dreadnought ($299.00) - not a bad idea for a small dormroom:
Buy Taylor Baby Taylor Mahogany Top Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar online

also in mahogany finish:
Taylor Baby Taylor Mahogany Top Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar

I have one of the mahogany Baby Taylors and it's a fantastic and great sounding guitar.

Taylor Big Baby Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar ($499.00)
This is a 15/16 size dreadnought. I have one of these too and they also are pretty great guitars.
Buy Taylor Big Baby Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar online at Musician's Friend

The 110 and 114 series run around ($599.00). While not rosewood back and sides and the cream of the tone woods, still a great sounding guitar. And

And the 110e and 114e are a $649.00 AND have a pickup in them, so you can play them through an amp.
Buy Taylor 110-E Dreadnought Acoustic-Electric Guitar at Musician's Friend

A $300-$650 Taylor sound, play and are overall nice instruments than similar priced Yamaha and Epiphones.

 

[Chill Mike D]

Hmm.

 

[EdgeIsTooSexy]

While the Washburn Woodstock Festival acoustics made today might LOOK similar to the ones that The Edge used, they are different animals all together. They are cheaper now and the craftsmanship is cheaper too. Also, yours wouldn't sound as much like The Edge's without the Lawrence soundhole pickup.

Taylor makes great guitars. You can get a "Big Baby" for about 400.00. The 100 series has a piezo pickup, so you can plug it in to an amp, should you want to do so. They play and sound great. Sure there are some great Taylors in the 1400+ range. If you can afford it, the 700 series are fantastic. Edge used a 710 during Popmart.

Gibson is a pricey one too. A J-200 will set you back 2700-ish. And a Pete Townshend model, like Edge used, closer to $4K.

Some Yamaha's are okay. I've not met one that I liked. Epiphones are cheaper versions of their Gibson cousins. Buyer beware. There are some that are okay but many are horrible.

What is your budget like? If you can tell me that, I would be glad to put down the makes and models of a few to check out. (and links too)

thanks very much but i just went with the washburn. i needed to pick something fast because i dont have much time left here.

 

[EdgeIsTooSexy]

Taylor makes a $400 guitar? Well I'll be damned. I didn't know that.

Also EITS, if you're going to college, keep in mind that almost everything you own is going to be abused in one way or another. I wouldn't take +$1000 acoustic into a college dorm or even apartment. College is a very fun, very physically destructive 4 years.

haha yeah i dont have a guitar worth that much so...
and if you're referring to the partying, im not into that.

 

[the tourist]

I like my brother's $350 Ibanez acoustic.